


Tidings

by Xero_Sky



Series: Max Will Not Be Your Reindeer [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Chuck Lives, Fluff, Ghost Drifting, M/M, Post Pitfall, Silly, Yancy Lives, max - Freeform, poor communication skills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 03:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5442299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xero_Sky/pseuds/Xero_Sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The idea was a pleasant Christmas vacation in a cabin in the mountains.</p><p>Before things even get started, Herc's disappeared, Chuck's furious, Yancy's REALLY happy, and Raleigh needs all of the coffee.  All of it.</p><p>It's the most wonderful time of the year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tidings

“Can’t fucking believe this shit,” Chuck grumbled, packing their SUV with almost ridiculous precision. He was always bizarrely good at making the most of every particle of space, and it went even faster than usual this morning since he was angry. Raleigh had the good sense to stay clear, just making a pile of their luggage and backing off. When he was all done and the back door had been slammed shut, Chuck turned to look at Raleigh as if daring him to come up with something else to pack.

Raleigh held up his hands in mock surrender, then locked up the house and settled into the driver’s seat. There were no imaginable circumstances under which he’d let Chuck drive them anywhere until he’d calmed down. With a sigh, he made sure the thermos of emergency coffee was stowed behind the seat. Chuck was gonna be wound up for hours yet.

Christmas was off to a _great_ start.

The real problem was that Chuck had a good reason to be pissed off, and even though Raleigh was the world champion at defusing Chuck’s bad moods, he didn’t know what to say this time. It really shouldn’t have been so difficult to get the four of them together.

Yancy _loved_ Christmas – he had always scraped together something for the two of them, even during the worst years – and this year he had something extra to celebrate. He’d officially retired from the PPDC last month. As the only person in the world with a prosthetic limb and drift experience, the new cybernetic research department had practically begged Yancy to be their test subject/poster boy. He’d agreed… but it had put him on a different continent from Raleigh for the last two years, and that, both Beckets agreed, had needed to stop. The ghost drift persisted no matter the distance, but separation sucked. There was already a room prepared for him at Raleigh and Chuck’s house, but in the meantime, he’d rented a cabin in the mountains for the three of them and Chuck’s dad to spend the two weeks over Christmas. Raleigh had seen pictures; it was going to be perfect.

Except Herc Hansen had dropped off the face of the fucking earth two days ago, and Chuck hadn’t been able to get hold of him by any communication method he knew. His ghost drift with his father had been thrumming with a kind of mild distress that Chuck couldn’t quite put his finger on, and the whole situation was driving him crazy.

Pilots didn’t usually deal well with uncertainty about their co-pilots, and Chuck was even worse at it than most. Thus, Chuck’s unhappiness had morphed into anger about three hours in, and he’d been boiling ever since. Raleigh wasn’t getting anything but excited happiness from Yancy’s end of the drift, but he could sympathize with his boyfriend, and he’d been doing what he could for Chuck. He just kind of wished he wasn’t going to be stuck in a confined space with Chuck Hansen’s anger issues for the next ten to twelve hours.

Max, newly supplied with a rawhide and a dog bed made for the car, settled happily into the back seat after sniffing every possible inch of it. His collar was garnished with a green bow that Chuck wouldn’t admit to having anything to do with, and a dog coat with a pattern of snowflakes had been packed for him. It came with little boots that he’d gotten off 20 seconds after they tried them on him. Max, at least, was ready for Christmas.

*******

The truck stop was annoyingly loud, considering that it was almost ten at night and snowing, with a constant stream of traffic going in and out. Raleigh was checking out the road conditions on a huge monitor just inside the main building, peering at it through glass he could actually see quiver when one of the big trucks went by. Things looked good to go for the main roads, and their four wheel drive should be able to handle the rest. If that wasn’t enough, they had chains. Chuck had gone inside to buy enough sugar and caffeine to get them through the rest of the trip, and Raleigh was still walking the feeling back into his legs after taking Max out for his own rest stop.

Chuck had driven for about an hour total. He hadn’t gotten hold of Herc yet.

Raleigh rubbed his hands together and blew into them. He’d called Yancy when they stopped. There was a lot more snow on the way, but it wasn’t due for another day or so, and if they kept to their schedule it wouldn’t matter much. He didn’t mind the thought of being snowed in with his family.

Jesus, he’d fucking hated the idea of being separated from Yancy for so long, but his relationship with Chuck had just been starting back then, and the Hansens had been the backbone of the PPDC while it was changing from a war footing into peacetime. That was all gonna change tonight. He couldn’t wait. He was going to hug the breath out of Yancy the second he saw him.

He caught sight of Chuck coming back and smiled, even though it was obvious from the way he was walking that he wasn’t happy. He had a couple of bags in one hand, but he was glowering at his phone in the other.

A nuclear explosion, dying twice in the operating room, and months of recovery hadn’t done a goddamned thing to take away Chuck Hansen’s swagger. He was recognized in public far more often than the other pilots, and most of that, Raleigh was convinced, was because he refused to lower his head or walk faster than normal or do anything to dodge attention. He wasn’t going to do anything but continue being Chuck Fucking Hansen, who wasn’t looking for attention but wasn’t afraid of it either.

Raleigh had fallen for him while they were both stuck in physical therapy together, planning half-serious insurrections against their doctors. It had only gotten worse from there, and Raleigh considered himself doomed at this point.

Especially since Chuck had proposed to him last week, and he'd instantly said yes.

They hadn’t told anybody yet, including their co-pilots, and Chuck could hardly wait until Christmas, when they’d agreed to spill their secret. It was only making his dad’s silence more aggravating at this point.

“Anything?” Raleigh asked.

“Yeah. The clerk asked for my autograph and told me he’d had a crush on Dad since he was twelve,” Chuck growled.

“Jesus.”

“Also, I’ve called Dad over sixty eight fucking times total now and he still won’t answer, the asshole.” Chuck shoved the bags in his direction and took Max’s leash from him, bending down to give his boy a scritch that bore no trace of the anger in his voice.

“How’s it upstairs?” Raleigh asked, tapping his temple with two fingers.

“Noisy, but I’m not getting anything I understand. It feels like he’s nervous or something— He’s just not --“ Chuck threw up his hands, unable to quite describe it in words, but Raleigh got it anyway.

 _Not paying attention to you_ , Raleigh thought to himself. He didn’t mean it badly, though, because he absolutely understood what it was like being cut off from your co-pilot, and despite their issues, Chuck and Herc were still unbelievably closed to each other. If Raleigh hadn’t understood what it was like, he probably would’ve been freaked out by how much time they spent together, and how often they finished each others sentences.

“He’ll be okay. Yance said he was expecting him any minute now, so we’ll see him up there. We’ll sic Max on him until he sorts his shit out,” Raleigh offered. “Let’s get going.”

Chuck visibly tried to let things go before they got in the SUV, so Raleigh leaned over and planted a kiss on him before starting the engine. They held hands until Raleigh needed both of his, but Chuck kept a hand on his leg the rest of the way there.

*******

In their headlights, the cabin looked like an overly ambitious barn, but by that time Raleigh didn’t really care too much. As long as it was warm and had a clean bathroom inside, he’d be happy. Chuck, on the other hand, was staring at the single other vehicle in the driveway, a big black Ford truck. There was already enough snow on the ground to show that no other cars had been there for hours, if ever.

“He’s not even here yet,” he said quietly. “I thought…”

“Let’s get inside, okay? We’ll talk to Yancy and see if he knows what’s up.”

“He’s not even fucking _here_ , Ray.” Somehow his flat tone was even worse than his ranting earlier.

“Chuck—“

“Fine,” he said abruptly, getting out and going to pick up Max, who, despite his fancy coat, had already decided that snow was a terrible idea. Heaving the bulldog into his arms, he stomped his way towards the door. Raleigh moved quickly to get in front of him so he didn’t have to put down Max, because he was an easy target for the mournful looks of a bulldog with cold feet.

The door wasn’t locked, and he let them all in, intensely grateful for the warm air that rushed out to greet him. He shut it behind him and turned around to say something to Chuck, but he forgot what it was when he saw his boyfriend just standing there with Max in his arms, gaping at something in front of him. Max was also transfixed, hanging limply in his boy’s embrace.

Raleigh had a sudden, horrible feeling that they were at the wrong cabin or something, but then he saw it.

Saw _them_.

No wonder Chuck was staring.

Herc was already here. With his shirt off. Making out with Yancy.

Herc was on the wide couch near the fire, pressed flat on his back by an equally half-dressed Yancy, who was slowly, patiently, and thoroughly kissing him senseless. The kissing was soft and filthy, and Herc seemed completely lost to it. His fingers combed through Yancy’s soft blond hair and mapped the line of his shoulders as if he couldn’t stop touching him. Yancy broke off only to smile down at him tenderly, gently touching their lips together and then pulling away again.

Suddenly the glowing happiness he’d been feeling from Yancy all day made sense, as did the anxious static Chuck had been getting from Herc, who apparently hadn’t had a serious relationship since his wife’s death. Raleigh could put the clues together. With the two of them working on different continents, this must have been one of the few times they’d been able to spend with each other in person.

That left so many other questions. How long had Herc and Raleigh’s brother been close enough to spend their evenings making out? What the hell did it mean that his future father-in-law was with his brother? Anything? And Yancy had lied to him, telling him that he expected Herc any minute, when they’d obviously driven up together. Was he giving Herc time before speaking to his son, or was he just being a dickhead?

What the _hell_?

Raleigh’s mouth dropped open, but none of the sounds that came next had anything to do with him.

First there was a rumbling, pleased sound that came from deep in Herc’s chest. He sounded like a freaking lion as he stretched out under Yancy.

Second came the thud/clatter of Max hitting the wood floor and scrabbling to get his feet under him after Chuck dropped him.

Finally, there was a spluttering and a squawk as Max reached his second-favorite human and did his best to give Herc’s entire face a tongue-bath, tail wagging hard enough to get his entire body shimmying. Herc struggled to get away from Max’s tongue, and succeeded mostly in pushing Yancy off the couch entirely, dumping him on the floor.

By the time the shirtless ones scrambled to their feet, Hercules Hansen was bright red. Yancy, blessed with a better complexion, couldn’t even manage to look bashful.

 _“Really?”_ Chuck’s voice was colder than the air outside.

Yancy put a hand on Herc’s shoulder and shot Raleigh a look. It might have been a plea to try to defuse Chuck, but the younger brother wasn’t that sympathetic. Chuck had been _really_ upset.

“This is why you couldn’t pick up the fucking phone?” Herc shifted a little, but he really wasn’t much for backing down. He opened his mouth and shut it again as Yancy squeezed his shoulder.

“We thought it would probably be better if we told you about us in person,” Yancy interceded.

“So you thought _cutting me off_ was a good idea?” Raleigh put his hand on the small of Chuck’s back, trying to ground him a little.

“Yeah,” Herc sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I... uh. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“What, that you fancy Raleigh’s brother? What d’you think I’m going to do? Murder him?” Chuck had his shoulders squared and his hands in fists, and, yeah, both Beckets started moving into intervention mode, just in case.

“You have a history of reacting badly when I get involved with people!” Herc gritted out.

“I do not!”

“You tried to get my last girlfriend deported!”

The Beckets winced.

“She was a security risk!”

“She was from Sydney! The Border Force raided her parents’ house, thanks to you!”

“It was just a precaution! It’s not like I rang them with the address!”

“Every single time I’ve been with someone for more than a week, you’ve done everything you could to get in the way,” Herc growled.

“Maybe you’ve just got shit taste!”

“Maybe you were the one who reported Marcus to Security for stalking me, and maybe you told David I had a thing for cross-dressing as a little girl!! Fuck knows what you did to Alison, because when she dumped me, all she said was that you were a goddamned psychopath!”

“None of them deserved –“

“It wasn’t up to you!”

Chuck took a deep breath, and Raleigh was foolish enough to think for a moment that he might be conceding the point. He really had no excuse for being that naïve.

“What about the fact that you had everybody terrified to come within three feet of me until I was 18? What about the fact that you transferred my first boyfriend to Lima after you saw us kissing? What about Jack? I never fucking saw him again after you had your little talk with him! So don’t tell me about reacting badly!!” Chuck hadn’t quite raised his voice yet, though they could hear the strain vibrating through it. “The only one you’ve ever approved of was Raleigh, because I was never gonna give up on him and you knew it! So why the fuck would I lose my shit over Yancy!?”

“Yance ‘n’ I have been together for almost five months!” Herc announced, laying all his cards on the table. He folded his arms across his chest, looking every inch the Marshall, if you could ignore the general shirtlessness and the hickey blooming at the base of his throat.

“Yeah? Well, Ray and I are getting married!!” Chuck kept his shirt on, but otherwise he mirrored his father’s stance precisely. Even down to the hickey, though Raleigh was currently the only one who knew about that.

Finally, there was silence, except for the sound of Raleigh shuffling awkwardly. He could almost hear Yancy’s eyebrow going up. The temperature in the room threatened to drop another few degrees.

“ _Really?_ ”

“He proposed to me on _Tuesday_ , Yance.” He was completely incapable of keeping his hand in his pocket and not letting the platinum and diamond band out to shine. “No big cover-up. We were saving it for Christmas too.”

“Oh my god, you _asshole_.” Yancy had him up against the wall in an instant, trying to hug the breath right out of him. “I knew something was happening with you!”

Raleigh grinned as they forgot about the Hansen angst completely, caught up in Becket happiness. Raleigh told him the story – Chuck had gone down on one knee! – and Yancy teased him and admired his ring and asked about dates.

Max snorted at Herc, unhappy with the amount of attention he was getting, and trotted over to the Beckets. Both of them, without missing a beat, knelt down to scritch him, and the stub tail went into overtime as the two kept talking.

This left the Hansens glaring at each other uncomfortably, not really sure what to do, now that every bit of focus in the room had shifted away. Chuck glared at his fiancé and his traitorous dog and the other Becket, and wondered if it was too late to escape. It was a pity Raleigh still had the keys… Sighing, Chuck gave in, knowing that he was doomed to a life with Beckets. He glanced at his dad, who might have just come to the same conclusion. Herc had his hands in his pockets and looked like he was torn between wanting to flee and wanting to stay forever.

“So, uh…” quoth Hansen the Elder, shifting uncomfortably.

“Yeah,” quoth the Younger.

“So who’s wearing the dress?” Yancy’s voice was deliberately loud in the otherwise tense silence, as was his complaint when Raleigh shoved him, knocking him over on his ass. Max climbed into the newly available lap immediately, doing his best to crush Yancy’s privates. The high-pitched sound this evoked made Raleigh laugh until he fell over too, but Max was comfortable where he was.

“Aw, hell,” Herc said, and before Chuck could react, he was being hugged, his dad’s arms wrapping around him and pulling him close. “Congrats, kid.”

It was as close to an apology as Herc was going to give, and it was as much of one as Chuck wanted, honestly. The ghost drift carried everything else: regret, absolution, and happiness. Most of their relationship had been beneath the surface like this since they first began drifting.

Chuck hugged him back, and when they soon broke apart, they looked anywhere but at each other. This physical affection thing had gotten easier since Pitfall, but it wasn’t like they were any good at it.

It was probably for the best that they had hooked up with another pair of pilots. They would have driven anyone else insane.

When Raleigh looked up from laughing at his brother (who’d _lied_ about Herc, after all, and therefore kinda deserved a bulldog to the testicles), Chuck was struck again by how handsome he was, and how much he loved him.

“We got lucky, old man,” he said softly.

“We all did,” Herc agreed, just between the two of them.

“So,” Raleigh asked, levering himself up from the floor. “You guys want to put some clothes on and help us unload the car?”

Yancy leaned back on his hands to take a look at his boyfriend. “Nah, not really.”

Herc winked at him.

“There’s presents in there,” Chuck pointed out, having learned a thing or two about Beckets. He was completely not surprised when that got Max got unceremoniously dumped out of Yancy’s lap. Yancy pulled a jacket off a row of pegs and threw it to Herc, and then started stuffing his own feet into boots.

“Hey, I don’t think I volunteered –“

Yancy put a finger to Herc’s lips. “Shh. Presents.”

“Well, can’t argue with that, I guess.” Herc stole a quick kiss and pulled his jacket on, barely managing boots before Yancy pulled him outside.

Raleigh took a moment to loop his arms around Chuck’s neck. “Better?”

Chuck grimaced dramatically. “I don’t know. I’m still going to be stuck up here in a cabin with you lot for Christmas.”

“Mmmnn,” Raleigh brushed his lips against his boyfriend's. “Can’t think of anything better.”

Chuck couldn’t hide his smile that time, and Raleigh laughed. He tugged him towards the door.

“Let’s get this done.”

Max watched his humans go back out into the cold before turning to climb up on the couch in front of the fire. They fed him and loved him, but they all appeared to be idiots, and there was no helping them.

*******

Outside, Raleigh tipped his head back, breathing in the pure air and watching the snow come down in a halo around the outdoor light. It felt so much like home, like his every memory of home, that he wasn’t truly surprised to feel the tears stinging his eyes.

“Hey,” Yancy said, wrapping his arms around him from behind. “Got a question for you.”

“Yes,” Raleigh answered, not bothering to turn around. “We still want you to move in with us.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want this thing with Herc to screw up you and Chuck.”

They could hear the Hansens squabbling over something in the front hall, but it was a contented sort of sound by their standards, familiar and easy.

“Of course I’m sure,” Raleigh smiled, turning around to sling an arm over his brother’s shoulder. “Herc stays with us whenever he can anyway. We’ll barely notice the two of you fucking like bunnies in the back bedroom.”

Yancy elbowed him, but his blush was visible even in the bright, harsh light.

“Besides, I missed you, you jerk. Even when you conspire to piss off my boyfriend.”

His big brother grinned at him, and the drift glowed between them. Yancy turned to go back to the car, but he paused a moment, and his smile turned just a bit evil around the edges. “Better get used to it. A man’s gotta have hobbies, after all.”

With a laugh that was also a bit evil, he went to find and possibly grope his own boyfriend.

The snowball that hit Yancy in the back of the head really shouldn’t have been any surprise at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Behold, the miracle of me writing AND posting a Christmas fic before Christmas!


End file.
